Paper-feeding device.



J. L; THOMPSON. PAPER FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILIED SEPT-V24. I913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES INVENTOR jwligyfioit 0 Qa- TA arm ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

J. L. THOMPSON.

Patnted Ap1a27, 1915.

3 a a I g 1 WITNESSES INVENTOR 6 7 ATTORNEYS 1. L'. THOMPSON. I PAPER FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.24. IH3'.

1,137,553, Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

a SHEETS-SHEET a,

Hill HH mil l UIA! ll WITNESSES nwmroe 12y Z 77/0/// /0/z/ ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAY L. THOMPSON, QF fG I REENSBURG, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-TH IRD .TO A.

GIBSON ONE-THIRD TO A. W; McKINLEY, BOTH OF GREENSBURG, KANSAS.

' earns-FEEDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

Applic n fll id Scntember'24, 1913. Serial No. 791,530.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAYL. 'lnoMPsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Greensburg, in the county of Kiowa and {.State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement. in Paper-Feeding Devices, of'which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in paper feeding devices for printing presses, and has for its object to provide-mechanism for connection with the printing press, and comprisingforwarding and receiving magazinesfor the printed matter, together with 3' mechanism for feeding the sheets from the forwarding magazine to the press, and from the press to'the receiving magazine, the said mechanism being automatic and fluid con- Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the suction finger, Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows, .Fig'. 9 is a. section on the line 99 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 10 is a perspective view.

of the lifting plate.

The present embodiment of the invention is shown in connection with a printing press- .0 1, having the usual type bed 2, and the platen 3, the said platen being supported by the arms 4, which are connected to the platen at one end, and are journaled on the frame of the-press at the other end as indicated at The platen 3 is swung into contact with thcftype on the bed by means of a lever 6, tbcsaide'lever being journaled on a shaft 7 cTonnected'withthe.fra fne of the press.

' Arms-sextend rigidly from the lever, and

n the saidarmsgareconnected at 9'to a roller which engageslbenea tii the laten. It willbe evident-gthat when the evenis swungwings: Figure 1 is a side view into the dotted line position of Fig. 11, the platen will be swung into contact with the type on the bed as shown in dotted lines in the said figure, and the lever is provided w th an arm 10, extending in the opposite direction to the arms 8, and having a longitudinally extending slot 11, at its outer end. An air pump 12'is secured to a-base 13, adjacent to the press, and the rod or stem 14 connected with the plunger of the pump is also connected with the arm 10, by means of a pin or bolt 15, which engages the slot 11. The air pump is connected by means of a pipe 16, to a reservoir 17 supported on the base, and the said reservoir is'provided j p at the center of its top 18 with an inlet valve 19, the said valve being spring controlled. A valve'20 is provided for .checking the return of the air from the pump to the reservoir, and the valve 19 is for permitt ing the air pressure in the reservoir to. 1",

be adjusted. The valve 19 is so arranged that when the vacuum exceeds the predetermined point, the valve will open. I

The forwarding magazine 21 is supported by arms 22, extending rearwardly and upwardly from the press, and the receiving magazine 23 is supported belowthe forwarding magazine, on the same arms 22.

The sheets 24 to be printed are supported w in an auxiliary magazine or holder 25, arranged within the magazine 21, and thejsaid: auxiliary holder or magazine is. open 'at itsfss top, and at the side adjacent tokthe press,

the said side being cut away at itsQupper,

edge. A flange 26 'is however left at t-he said side adjacent to the bottom to prevent the sheets from becoming displaced. 99

Slide members 27 are arranged at the front and the bottom of the holder 2 5,and at the rear the said holder 'is supported by a coil spring 28. 'The spring bears at one end agaiiist the under face of thesaid holder; r

and at the other end against the outer end "of a plate 29, which extends rearwardly from the center of an arm ;3 0, ,the said arm extending trans'verselyof the upper face of the,

bottom of the forwarding magazin 1 6. 26 said arm'is prpvided-with a crank 3l -atj outer end andloutside of the magazine, and the crank is. pivoted to one end-of :ahnlg whose other end is connectedwith I .at the connection of arm 8. 'A pair of rack bars 33 isconnected with the forwarding magazine, the said bars being arc-shaped as shown, and having their convex edges upwardly, and theteeth of the rack bars are on the said convex edges.

The rack bars extend forwardly toward the press, the free ends of the said bars being above the type bed, and each of the said free ends is provided with a lateral stop 31. A pinion 36 is journaled on each of the side members of the platen 3, (Fig. 5), each of the said pinions being secured to a stub shaft 37, supported by the adjacent'side member of the platen, and each of the pinions meshes with the adjacent rack bar 33. It will be noticed from an inspection of Fig. 5 that each of the side members of the platen 3 is channeled on its inner face to form a guideway or passage 39, and a slide member or bar 10 is arranged to slide in the said passages, the said bar or slide member being transverse to the platen. The slide member or bar is provided with a feeding or suction member or finger 41, to be later described in detail, and rack bars 35 are rigidly secured tothe ends of. the said slide member 10; The rack bars extend in the opposite direction from the press, and the teeth of the rack bars faces thereof.

A pinion 38 is secured to the inner end of each of the 'stubshafts 37, and each of the said pinions mesh with the adjacent rack bar 35. The rackbars slide, in the passages 39, and it will be evident that whenever. the platen is swung from the position of Fig. 2 to the position of Fig. 3, or. inthe reverse direction, the pinions 36 will be rotated by their engagement with the rack bars 33, and.

the said pinions will in turn rotate the pinions- 38, which will move the rack bars 35 and the'slide bar or member 40 with respect to the platen. The suction'member or finger 41 is provided with a nipple 42 at its inner end, for engagement by one end of a flexible pipe 43, the other end of the said pipe 43 being connected with the inlet 44:01 the reservoir 17, before mentioned. From the nipple'4-2 passages 45 and 45 lead to the opposite ends of a transverse recess 46, the said recess being in the under face of the finger. The movement-of the lever :6 will operate the pump 20 to partially exhaust the air-from the reservoir 17, and to create suction through thepipe 43 from the recess 46 to the reservoir. The suction" is sufli'cient to cause the'uppermost' sheet 24 in the'holder 25 to stick to the under plane face of the finger, as will be hereafter described,

The. receiving magazine 23 is as before stated, arranged below the' forwarding magazine- 21, and a guide plate 47 extends,

from the said magazine to'the rear face of interfere with the are on the underthe platen, when the platen is in position just above the slot or passage 48, and the said lip or flange is slightly above the level of that face of the bed orbody of the platen which receives the sheet 24 to be printed. The finger is however, below the under face of the slide bar or member 4 0, and does not 'passage; of the said slide bar 'or member.

The operation of the feedingmechanism 'is as follows :When the lever is moved into the dotted line position of Fig. 1, the platen is moved to buing the sheet 24 thereon into contact with the type on the type bed At the same time,"the pump 20 is operated to exhaust aiportionof the air from the reser to receive a sheet to be printed "The base or r voir 17. At the same time the plunger-of pump 20 is moved downwardly. lVhen' the Fig. 1, the plunger of the pump QO'is lifted lever 6 returns to the full line position of and exhausts a portion of the air from the reservoir 17, thus creating a partial vacuum in the flexible pipe i3, and air is drawn into the passage 4150f the feeding finger 41. As

the platen returns to the position of Figs.

1 and 2-, the pinions 36 are "rotated by theireng'a'gement with the rack 'bars and the said pinions in turn rotate the pinions38, which move the rack bars outward}, carrying with them the slide bar 40 and the suction finger {11 into the posit-ionof-Fig. c2.

-\\"hen the platen comes to rest-,the slide bar isat the upper edge. of. the'body of the.

platen, and thesuction ffinger 41 extends above thesaid body. The return of the platen to its normal-position moves the link 32 from the dotted line to the full line position .of Fig. l, and'the said link swings-thecrank 31 of the arm 30 to lift :the 'free end -.of the plate 29 fr'omthe upper face of the bottom of the magazine. 21, and the plate lifts the holder 25 into the position of Fig. 2, that is,

with the upper face of the topmost sheet in the holder'fiush' with-the upper face of the platen bed. or body. With the holder in this position, the suction. or feeding finger i1 .rests upon, the 'upper'j face .ofthe topmost sheet, and since there is a partial vacuum in the passages off 'the said fin er and in the pipe 43' and the reservoir 11, the topmost .sheetwill clingto the finger, and as the platen is again moved toward the typebed.

the topmost sheet will be draw position to be impressed by thetype on the bed. The platen moves .to contact the said topmostsheet with the type bed, and on the return movement, the pinions 36 and 38 are rotated in a direction to move the rack bars 35 and the slide 40 upwardly. The upper edge of the topmost sheet during its upward movement contacts with the lip 49, and the said sheet is deflected through the passage 48 and over the guide plate l7 into the receiving magazine The operation of the device is entirely automatic/s0 far as concerns the feed and de livery of the sheets. The movement of the platen-to bring a sheet into contact with the type on the type bed, and to return the platen to its inoperative or normal position, causes first a, sheet to be fed into position to be employed. and second. the delivery of the sheet from the platen bed to the receiving magazine. When the platen is in the position of Fig. '2, the holder 25 is held in the position shown in the said figure, and when the platen is impressing the sheet, the said holder takes the position of Fig. 3, so that there is no possibility of the sheets becoming displaced. The lower end of the holder, that is the portion of the holder which moves upon the receiving magazine proper, has a limited sliding movement to insure that the topmost sheet will always be pressed against the under; face of the suction finger. The said finger limits the movement of the lower end of the holder. The forwarding magazine in the present instance is merely separated guide plates. each of which is provided with an inwardly extending flange 50, upon which the holder '25 moves. The said holder is in fact the forwarding magazine for the sheets. The holder 25 is yieldingly supported, and it will be evident that as the sheets are removed, the spring 28 will tend to expand, to always hold the topmost sheet in position to be engaged by-the' finger -11.

I claim 1. In combination with a printing press having a type bed and a platen mounted to swing towa rdand from the type bed, and means for moving the platen, of a forwarding .magazine for the printed sheets at the upper end of the platen-when the platen is in inoperative position, a guide for the magazine, the magazine being slidable toward and from the platen, means operated by the return of the platen to inoperative position for lifting the ma" azine into approximate parallelism with the. platen, and feeding mechanism for engaging the topmost sheet and moving it on to the platen operated by the movement of the platen.

2. In combination with the printing press having a type bed and. a platen mounted to swing toward and from the type bed, and

;;the means for moving the platen, of a forwarding magazine for the printed sheets at the means for moving the platen, of a forwarding magazine for the printed sheets at the upper end of the platen when the platen is in inoperative position, means for feeding the sheets in succession from the forwarding magazine to a position to be printed on the platen, said feeding means being movable longitudinally of the platen beyond the upper end thereof, and means operated by the movement of the platen into inoperative position for lifting the magazine to bring the upper sheet intocontact with the feeding mechanism. I

4. In combination with a printing press having a type bed and a platen mounted to swing toward and from the type bed, and

means'for moving the platen, of a slide provided with feeding means and movable longitiuilinally of the platen, the platen having guideways for guiding the slide, stub shafts at the sides of the platen at the upper end thereof. arc-shaped rack bars arranged at each side of the platen between the inopera' tive position of the platen and the type bed,

a pinion secured tothe outer end of each stub shaft and engaging the adjacent rack bar, a pinion secured to the inner end of each stub shaft, and. rack bars connected with the slide and engaging the last-named pinion.

v 5'. The combination 4 with the. printing press having a type bedand a platen and means for moving the platen, of a forwarding magazine at the upper end of the platen when the platen is in inoperative position,

said magazine being adapted to contain the sheets to be printed, a support for the magazine inwhich the magazine is mounted to tilt. feedin means for the sheets movable longitudinally of the platen and beyond the upper end thereof, and means for tilting the magazine to bring the topmost sheet into en-: gagement with the feeding mechanism, and

a connection between the said means and the platen for operating the same to tilt the magazine when the platen-moves toward the magazine. v i

6. In combination with a'. printing press having a type bed and'a platen mounted to swing toward and from the type bed. of

tida

means in connection with the platen for feedin ,i' he printed shwts to the platen and from t e, laten, a magazine for the sheets to he prin at the upper end of the platen 5 when the platen is in inoperative position, and means operated by the movement of the V platen to such position for moving the magazine with the uppermost sheet flush with the upper face of the platen and against the feeding means.

JAY L. THOMPSON. \Vitnesses:

A. N. Rnrn A. Coon. 

